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In his 1890 essay, "Leaders of Men," Wilson explained that a "true leader" uses the masses like "tools." He must inflame their passions with little heed for the facts. "Men are as clay in the hands of the consummate leader."

"No doubt a lot of nonsense has been talked about the inalienable rights of the individual, and a great deal that was mere sentiment and pleasing speculation has been put forward as fundamental principle," wrote Wilson, attacking the very individual rights that have made America great.

He rejected the principles of "separation of powers" and "checks and balances" that are the foundation of American government: "Government does now whatever experience permits or the times demand…." wrote Wilson in The State. __________________________________________________ ______________________
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; Miscellaneous

Justly revered as our great Constitution is, it could be stripped off and thrown aside like a garment, and the nation would still stand forth in the living vestment of flesh and sinew, warm with the heart-blood of one people, ready to recreate constitutions and laws. ... Woodrow Wilson

If you want to understand how the Constitution was rewritten in the 20th century by the Progressive movement, the place to start is with Woodrow Wilson. ...Wilson too re-made Princeton, this time on the model of the German university. At a time in which German scholarship was in fashion, he was a champion of Hegelianism, helping to introduce a strain of thought into the American body politic that was fundamentally opposed to the natural rights philosophy of the Founders.

Hegel's historicism—the belief that all thought is historically conditioned—was the intellectual foundation of Progressivism and of Wilson's belief that the Constitution was an antique absurdity. Wilson championed the idea of "the living Constitution" which enables activist judges to re-write the Constitution according to the Progressive notions of the day
American Protective League

Formed by A.M. Briggs, a wealthy Chicago businessman, at its zenith the APL had 250,000 dues-paying members in 600 cities of the United States.[1] Authorized to operate by the U.S. Attorney General, Thomas Gregory, the APL assisted the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), the precursor to the FBI. A private organization, the APL nevertheless had a semi-official status; it was officially approved by the Attorney General, who authorized the APL to state on its letterhead, "Organized with the Approval and operating under the direction of the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation.".... pursued suspects of disloyalty on their own initiative and in their own manner. APL members were accused of acting as vigilantes, allegedly violating the civil liberties of American citizens,...

A few months after the Armistice was signed, ending World War I, the League disbanded, in part as a result of opposition by the President's incoming Attorney General, A. Mitchell Palmer. ---------------------------------------------------------------
Jonah Goldberg, National Review Online's editor-at-large, is the author of "Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning." excerpts:

Washington - I'm thinking of an American president who demonized ethnic groups as enemies of the state, censored the press, imprisoned dissidents, bullied political opponents, spewed propaganda, often expressed contempt for the Constitution, approved warrantless searches and eavesdropping, and pursued his policies with a blind, religious certainty.

Oh, and I'm not thinking of George W. Bush, but another "W" – actually "WW": Woodrow Wilson, the Democrat who served from 1913 to 1921.....

.... Wilson, like the bulk of progressive intellectuals in fin-de-siècle America, was deeply influenced by three strands of thought: philosophical Pragmatism, Hegelianism, and Darwinism. This heady intellectual cocktail produced a drunken arrogance and the conviction that the old rules no longer applied.....

Hence Wilson argued that the old "Newtonian" vision – fixed rules enshrined in the Constitution and laws – had to give way to the "Darwinian" view of "living constitutions" and the like.

With the intellectuals on their side, Wilson recruited journalist George Creel to become a propaganda minister as head of the newly formed Committee on Public Information (CPI). (about a million strong,, went around giving speeches on street corners, making posters, handing out pamphlets,, a very intimidating group all of it's own,,, )

Under the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, Wilson's administration shut down newspapers and magazines at an astounding pace. Indeed, any criticism of the government, even in your own home, could earn you a prison sentence. One man was brought to trial for explaining in his own home why he didn't want to buy Liberty Bonds.

The APL – a quarter million strong at its height, with offices in 600 cities – carried government-issued badges while beating up dissidents and protesters and conducting warrantless searches and interrogations. Even after the war, Wilson refused to release the last of America's political prisoners,... ---------------------------------------------------------------

From Conservative Colloquium:

....forbade Americans from criticizing their own government in a time of war. Citizens could not "utter, print, write or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the government or the military. The Postmaster General was given the authority to revoke the mailing privileges of those who disobeyed.